posted at 3:01 pm on June 12, 2014 by Allahpundit

A U.S./Israel/Iran/Saudi Arabia/Bashar Assad alliance in the Middle East is, if I’m not mistaken, mentioned in chapter nine of the Book of Revelation.

Alternate headline: “Atheist starting to believe in the End Times.”

Iran deployed Revolutionary Guard forces to fight in Iraq, helping government troops there wrest back control of most of the city of Tikrit from militants, Iranian security sources said…

Combined Iraqi-Iranian forces retook control of 85% of Tikrit, the birthplace of former dictator Saddam Hussein, according to Iraqi and Iranian security sources.

They were helping guard the capital Baghdad and the two Shiite holy cities of Najaf and Karbala, which have been threatened by the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, an al Qaeda offshoot. The Sunni militant group’s lightning offensive has thrown Iraq into its worse turmoil since the sectarian fighting that followed the 2003 U.S.-led invasion…

In addition, Iran was considering the transfer to Iraq of Iranian troops fighting for the regime in Syria if the initial deployments fail to turn the tide of battle in favor of Mr. Maliki’s government.

Qassem Suleimani, the head of the Quds Force and the second-most powerful man in Iran, was in Baghdad a few days ago to reassure Maliki that his Shiite patrons will answer the bell for him, just like they did for Assad. As much fun in theory as an IRGC/ISIS slugfest might be for the west, in practice it’s horrific: It’s been happening in Syria for the past few years, with tens of thousands of civilians caught in the middle. There’s really no rooting interest here, either. If Iran succeeds in crushing the jihadis, Maliki and Assad will owe them everything. Tehran will own Iraq and Syria even more than they do now. If ISIS pushes Iran back to Iraq’s Shiite areas and secures the Sunni parts of Iraq and Syria for itself, the U.S. suddenly has to figure out a way to crush a huge Salafist terror statelet run by hardened guerilla jihadis right in the middle of Mesopotamia. Drone operators will be pulling double shifts for the next 20 years. One U.S. counterterror official, having looked at the intelligence on ISIS, told the WSJ, “It makes you want to kill yourself.” That’s the scope of what we’re dealing with here.

According to the sources, ISIS leader Abu Baker al-Baghdadi recently discussed with his lieutenants the possibility of extending the group’s control beyond Syria and Iraq.

One of the ideas discussed envisages focusing ISIS’s efforts on Jordan, where Islamist movements already have a significant presence. Jordan was also chosen because it has shared borders with Iraq and Syria, making it easier for the terrorists to infiltrate the kingdom…

The ISIS terrorists see Jordan’s Western-backed King Abdullah as an enemy of Islam and an infidel, and have publicly called for his execution. ISIS terrorists recently posted a video on YouTube in which they threatened to “slaughter” Abdullah, whom they denounced as a “tyrant.” Some of the terrorists who appeared in the video were Jordanian citizens who tore up their passports in front of the camera and vowed to launch suicide attacks inside the kingdom.

One obvious possible response here is for Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and maybe even Egypt to send troops to Iraq to crush ISIS. The jihadis are hugely outnumbered: Combined, the Iraqi army and the Kurdish peshmerga in the country top them more than 30 to one. Add multinational Sunni troops and the ratio would skyrocket. I assume it won’t happen, though, partly because the Sunnis would rather let Iran bleed some more in handling this and partly because they may be nervous about being thin on troops at home at a moment when Islamists are running wild in Iraq. The local Islamists might seize on the security vacuum as an opportunity for mass protests or worse, which could destabilize the country. In the eternal game of Middle Eastern jihadi whack-a-mole, there are always more moles. And even if the Sunni states managed to keep order at home, what happens once they’re done with ISIS in Iraq? Do they go home, or push on into Syria to fight ISIS there — which could eventually lead to a direct confrontation between Iran, on Assad’s side, and the multinational Sunnis on the other?

At last check, ISIS was bulldozing border checkpoints between Iraq and Syria to symbolize the creation of a new, transnational jihadi state. Next stop: Caliphate?

Update: By the way, can anyone explain how the U.S. brain trust was “caught off guard” by all this when news about the jihadification of Syria’s rebels and the threat they pose to Iraq has been news for years? In particular:

“These groups were unified by the same goal, which is getting rid of this sectarian government, ending this corrupt army and negotiating to form the Sunni Region,” said Abu Karam, a senior Baathist leader and a former high-ranking army officer, who said planning for the offensive had begun two years ago. “The decisive battle will be in northern Baghdad. These groups will not stop in Tikrit and will keep moving toward Baghdad.”

Two years, and no intelligence services locally or internationally had a heads up?

Update: C’mon, you know I’m right.

Right now Kerry’s staring at his phone, wondering, “Maybe Putin has a plan”

I am beginning to wonder if Obama was The One who would/could usher in the Caliphate.

Nothing can shock me any longer. This beast needs to be stopped – is there any possible way to restrain him? He has opened our borders to “MEN” from Central America, he’s armed our enemies, released the Dream Team from GITMO, denied care which resulted in the deaths of Veterans.

How can any American Democrat continue to support this disgusting POS?

One of the ideas discussed envisages focusing ISIS’s efforts on Jordan, where Islamist movements already have a significant presence. Jordan was also chosen because it has shared borders with Iraq and Syria, making it easier for the terrorists to infiltrate the kingdom…

Oh, PLEASE-PLEASE-PLEASE!

The Jordanians have been fighting in Afghanistan for over a decade. They have complete force integration with Israel.

During Phase I of Operation Iraqi Freedom, a joint Jordanian-Israeli SOF team went SCUD hunting in western Iraq.

This is the only good news coming out of this catastrophe. If ISIL attacks Jordan, they’re toast. Immediately.

Update: By the way, can anyone explain how the U.S. brain trust was “caught off guard” by all this when news about the jihadification of Syria’s rebels and the threat they pose to Iraq has been news for years?

Update: By the way, can anyone explain how the U.S. brain trust was “caught off guard” by all this when news about the jihadification of Syria’s rebels and the threat they pose to Iraq has been news for years?

Obama hasn’t had time to read the newspaper today. The back nine isn’t going to play itself.

Update: By the way, can anyone explain how the U.S. brain trust was “caught off guard” by all this when news about the jihadification of Syria’s rebels and the threat they pose to Iraq has been news for years?

Update: By the way, can anyone explain how the U.S. brain trust was “caught off guard” by all this when news about the jihadification of Syria’s rebels and the threat they pose to Iraq has been news for years?

Since no one else is doing anything, that’s looking to be what will happen. I wish the Kurds and the Israelis the best of luck, they are going to need it with enemies like Iran and al-Qaida and “friends” like the US.

Where are today’s Patton’s…

PatriotRider on June 12, 2014 at 3:23 PM

Patton today would be denounced as an imperialist warmonger and bounced out of the army.

By the way, can anyone explain how the U.S. brain trust was “caught off guard” by all this when news about the jihadification of Syria’s rebels and the threat they pose to Iraq has been news for years? In particular:

I love watching the dem prospects go down the tubes for 2016 in all their slef inflicted glory. I’d like it even better if the GOP admins that will now be coming in wouldn’t have to put men and women of our armed forces back in harms way to recover what we had finished over 5 years ago.

By the way, can anyone explain how the U.S. brain trust was “caught off guard” by all this when news about the jihadification of Syria’s rebels and the threat they pose to Iraq has been news for years?

And what happens when Iraq wants Iran to leave after beating back the Islamists?

blink on June 12, 2014 at 3:25 PM

They will not Iran to leave. Iran will not have men patrolling the streets, but they will be there to watch over the coop. Malaki asked America to leave. America left. American cannot and should not go back.

From where I am this crisis may be the best or the worst thing to happen in the Middle East depending on how people approach this.

Some People ask what is worst than an nuclear Iran? Well world meet your answer. A bunch of psychopaths going from country to country trying to take over and installing medieval Islamic law. I am speaking for myself when I say I will take a nuclear Iran. But I know most people would take isis. So we agree to disagree.

Some People ask what is worst than an nuclear Iran? Well world meet your answer. A bunch of psychopaths going from country to country trying to take over and installing medieval Islamic law. I am speaking for myself when I say I will take a nuclear Iran. But I know most people would take isis. So we agree to disagree.

coolrepublica on June 12, 2014 at 3:39 PM

You’re going to get both. A bunch of psychopaths (wait, what’s Bergdahl got to do with this?), under cover of a nuclear umbrella, taking over country after country with no resistance from their neighbors or the Western “powers” because Iran’s got The Bomb.

I am speaking for myself when I say I will take a nuclear Iran. But I know most people would take isis. So we agree to disagree.

coolrepublica on June 12, 2014 at 3:39 PM

WOW, you learned from Obama how to come up with straw men arguments… I and every American Patriot do not want either ISIS or Iran or any terrorist regime or terrorist group to have any power anywhere in the world… It is not either or for us, it is that all of these evil 7th century islamic terrorist scums must be annihilated…

Some People ask what is worst than an nuclear Iran? Well world meet your answer. A bunch of psychopaths going from country to country trying to take over and installing medieval Islamic law. I am speaking for myself when I say I will take a nuclear Iran. But I know most people would take isis. So we agree to disagree.

That’s a false choice.

Iran doesn’t have to have nuclear weapons to defend against Wahabbist terrorists. Besides, Iran itself is a state sponsor of terrorism. It arms, supports, and trains the Taliban and Hezbollah.

Our choices aren’t limited to “supporting” ISIL or allowing Iran to have nukes.

I oppose ISIL and I oppose Iran going nuclear. Besides, what role are nukes going to play in this war? None at all.

JEEBUS! How the hell does Bambi have an approval rating above -10. What a bunch of idiots we have in the USA.

faol on June 12, 2014 at 3:48 PM

The entire world could be in flames, every one of our cities embroiled in riots and looting, widespread power blackouts, and complete economic meltdown, Bammy surrounded by his personal Black Panther Praetorian Guard officially seizing dictatorial power, and yet a multitude of idiots would still approve of Ear Leader.

I don’t think ISIS is that large a force. Unfortunately it looks like the Iraqi forces are turning tail at the first sign of trouble.

NotCoach on June 12, 2014 at 3:48 PM

May be because ISIS is not the only one attacking the Iraqi troops… It is highly possible that most of the attackers are in fact from the local Iraqi Sunni tribes and not from ISIS and hence their numbers are in the tens of thousands… We shall see…